Anna Karénina, in Eight Parts

New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., [1886] Translated by Nathan Haskell Dole. First American edition (and first English language edition), first printing; with all presumed first issue points, including floral endpapers, "13 Astor Place" to title page, sheets bulking at 35 mm., and four pp. of ads to rear. Publisher's brown cloth, with front board and spine stamped in gilt. Near fine, with light toning to spine, light rubbing to spine ends, clean boards and bright gilt, lightly bumped corners, light staining to top edge of text block, and ownership signature in pencil to front flyleaf. Overall, a superb copy. Regarded as one of the true monuments of literature, Anna Karenina tells of two interconnected and contrasting relationships. In one, the beautiful and magnetic Anna Karenina, trapped in an unfulfilling marriage with government official Alexei Karenin, falls for the charming Count Vronsky and the two begin an affair. In the other and ultimately happier thread, landowner Konstantin Levin courts Kitty, the latter of whom is related to Anna Karenina by marriage. The book is renowned for its psychological depth, realism, and profundity, and certainly substantiates what James Joyce once wrote of Tolstoy: "He is never dull, never stupid, never tired, never pedantic, never theatrical! He is head and shoulders over the others." . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.